Spiritual Gifts and Church Unity Pt.1

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.8 Therefore it says,

“ When He ascended on high,
He led captive a host of captives,
And He gave gifts to men.”

At verse 7 Paul shifts from objective dimensions of church unity to the role of spiritual gifts in securing and promoting unity in the visible church. Paul asserts in verse 7 that Christ sovereignly bestows spiritual gifts on each member of the body and then defends that assertion in verse 8 by an appeal to Scripture, specifically Psalm 68:18. Interpreting Psalm 68 messianically, Paul sees the bodily ascension of Christ above all heavens as the ultimate fulfillment of Psalm 68:18 and the basis for Christ’s sovereign distribution of gifts.